Navigation Bar

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

Analysis of the Raid at Leego

On 26th June 2015, Al-Shabaab launched an offensive on
AMISOM positions in Leego, Lower Shabelle, with the prime intents of defeating
AMISOM troops and capturing the main Forward Operating Base in the area which
was manned by over a hundred Burundian soldiers. The incontestable victory of
the Jihadists stunned AMISOM and the International Community, and the
after-effects rippled across Lower Shabelle with AMISOM abandoning towns in
fear of a repeat of what happened in Leego. The least discussed aspect
concerning this event is the fact that Al-Shabaab used weapons it had captured
from Ethiopian soldiers to storm the base. This fact reveals an unsettling
reality that Al-Shabaab is far from being defeated, and that its resilience
coupled with pragmatic strategies have enabled it to regain initiative across
Southern Somalia.

* *
* *
* * *

This post will analyze the video
released by Al-Shabaab - which shows the decimation of an AMISOM base in Leego -
with the aim of deriving lessons from the attack, as well as gain a glimpse
into the tactical strategies of the Al-Shabaab unit tasked with raiding and destroying
AMISOM Military Bases; the Sheikh Abu
Zubeyr Battalion. The text of this post will be complemented with photos
and video recordings of the attack for the purposes of clarity and confirmation
of stated facts.

DISCLAIMER: Strategic Files (SF) acknowledges the inherent Illegitimacy of Terrorism and in so doing, also abhors Illegitimate Violence; and the use of photos and video recordings of the attack to complement the text of this post
serves ONLY to CLARIFY and to provide PROOFS of EVIDENCE where necessary; AND DOES
NOT IN ANY WAY ENDORSE VIOLENCE.

Long wars are characterized by three
qualities which determine their duration, intensity and scope; Form ofCombat (operations), Strategy, and Ideological Foundations – with
Strategy linking Combat to Ideology. A firm and unassailable ideology informs
the formulation of a set of strategies which will effect intense and enduring
combat operations capable of defeating an enemy, or exhausting an adversary
through a long war into finally abandoning military campaigns.

Ideology and
Legitimization of Violence.

Al-Shabaab has repeatedly cast
itself as the defender of the lives, rights and aspirations of the Muslim
Populace[1]
in Somalia[2]
and Kenya[3];
besides assigning themselves the responsibility of safeguarding and defending
the honor of Islam and Muslims[4]
(albeit, according to its own interpretations and exegeses)[5]
– elements which feature prominently in its audiovisual release entitled Avenging the Honor of Our Prophet- Storming the
Burundian Crusaders’ Base Leego – Lower Shabelle,[6]which
shows the decimation of an AMISOM Military Base in Leego, Lower Shabelle. This
video serves to rationalize and legitimize the insurrectionary campaign that
Al-Shabaab is presently conducting in Somalia as well as serve as a propaganda
piece to demoralize AMISOM forces, besides alluring Somali civilians to join
their cause.

In June 2015, Al-Shabaab conducted
a series of bold and devastating offensives against AMISOM forces which left
over 150 AU (African Union) troops’ dead across the battlefields of Somalia;
alongside another 6 dead Kenyan soldiers who were killed in Baure area of Lamu[7]
County, Kenya. The Climax of AlShabaab’s
Ramadhan Offensive[8]
was the capture of an AMISOM Forward Operating Base (FOB)
near Leego town in Lower Shabelle.

Salient Utilization
of OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) Data.

On 7th July 2015, SIF utilized OSINT sources, coupled with appropriate
deductions, to reconstruct the events surrounding the Fall of the FOB in Leego to Al-Shabaab; and thereafter
published the reconstructed version of events as a post entitled Fall
of Leego's AMISOM base – Primer to Al-Shabaab Offensive in South-eastern and
Central Somalia.[9]
The version of events published by SIF have been authenticated, validated and confirmed
to be true by the video of the attack released by Al-Shabaab – though
Al-Shabaab omitted showing some noteworthy events; partly to conceal its modus
operandi, and partly to protect the population from AMISOM’s retribution. One
of the events omitted from the video was the fact that the residents of Leego
welcomed and celebrated Al-Shabaab’s victory over AMISOM troops – which reveals
that AMISOM lacked (and still lacks) popular support in parts of Southern Somalia.

The attack on Leego was a
culmination of a series of occurrences which are discussed below.

Derision (On June 1st,
2015).

On 1st June 2015, President
Yoweri Museveni – speaking at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, during Kenya’s
Madaraka day – derided Al-Shabaab for lacking the capacity to attack police
stations and military bases; and cautioned the jihadists that they were nearing
defeat as they could not face off armed security personnel[10].
Earlier on, Museveni had penned down an article in Uganda’s New Vision[11]
arguing that Al-Shabaab was all but defeated. SIF assesses that Al-Shabaab interpreted these statements and arguments as a challenge; a Challenge they were
ready to take. [On September 1st, 2015; Al-Shabaab jihadists
decimated a Ugandan Military Base in Janaale[12]
killing an estimated 50 soldiers and capturing scores of troops[13]].

Imprecise Intelligence

The war against Al-Shabaab is
qualified by imprecise intelligence provided by the CIA [14](Central
Intelligence Agency – America’s Leading Intelligence Agency headquartered in
Langley, Virginia), which SIF assesses to
have produced erroneous Intelligence reports which consciously downplayed the
offensive capabilities of Al-Shabaab as well as lessened the magnitude of the
threat it posed to both Somalia and Kenya. This miscalculation was quickly
exposed on 11th June 2015 when Al-Shabaab killed over two dozen
Ethiopian soldiers in Beledwyne.

A Connected Event –
Decimation of an Ethiopian Military Convoy.

In the afternoon of June 11th
2015, Al-Shabaab militants - belonging to the newly formed Sheikh Abu Zubeyr
Battalion - ambushed and decimated an Ethiopian military convoy in Beledweyne.
In a report published by the Long War Journal[15],
the jihadists claimed that they successfully ambushed the convoy, and engaged Ethiopian troops in a fierce battle which culminated with the
Ethiopians fleeing the battlefield and abandoning their military hardware after
the mujahedeen killed dozens of Ethiopian soldiers. A relief
convoy sent to assist the ambushed convoy was also destroyed by Al-Shabaab.
In a prior
post published here, SIF assessed that the number of fatalities Al-Shabaab claimed to have afflicted on the Ethiopian Military were exaggerated; as most Ethiopian soldiers fled the battle
relatively unhurt - a fact proved right by the video depicting the Fall of
Leego where one of the Ethiopian Soldiers who had escaped was killed by
Al-Shabaab alongside Burundian soldiers. Most of the weapons captured by Al-Shabaab
from the Ethiopian troops during the ambush were put into effective use in storming AMISOM's Forward Operating Base in Leego.

On 24th September 2015, Al-Shabaab
released a video depicting its raid on the Burundian Military
Base located on the outskirts of Leego town. Coincidentally, the day of the release
coincided with the Muslim Festival of Eid- al-Adha[16]
(Feast to commmmorate the sacrifice of Ishmael); and the Media has interpreted
such coincidence as Al-Shabaab’s Eid-al-Adha message to the Muslim Umma and the World at large.

Conspicuously, the video starts
with a provocative speech given by Osama bin Laden (the slain former Supreme
Leader of Al-Qaeda). Bin Laden expresses his displeasure concerning the “atrocities”
perpetrated by Western Nations against non-Combatant Muslims in
Muslim-dominated nations, all the while as they (the Occident) “disingenuously”
proclaim their convictions (publicly) to espouse tolerance and peace. Next, bin
Laden bewails the fact that the offensive Caricatures of the prophet of Islam
were published by Western Media, and also accuses the Vatican of actively
participating in the act. He interprets such actions as confirmation of War
being waged against Islam, and extorts Muslims to avenge the honor of their
Prophet using any means possible including sacrificing their lives and wealth.
He then notifies non-Muslims that their dishonor of Islam will definitely
attract retribution as he says:

“The answer will be what you see, not what you hear”

SIF assesses that this video commenced with Osama’s Speech about
the defamation of Islam (and Muslims) by Christians, followed by the pledge
that Al-Qaeda would definitely retaliate; for four main reasons:

1.To show that Al-Shabaab is integrally rooted in
Al-Qaeda, and are ready and capable of fulfilling the pledges made by its slain
Emir (albeit posthumously).

2.To enflame the passions of steadfast Muslims who
revere their prophet, and in so doing, enjoining such Muslims to their cause
besides legitimizing their actions.

3.Create fissures between Muslims and Christians
by depicting Christian leaders (who most Muslims consider to the Roman Catholic
Pope and his pontificate) as inherently hostile to Islam; and always conspiring
to destroy Islam.

4.To serve as a veiled threat to Kenyans that
Al-Shabaab intends to attack Pope Francis when he visits Kenya in November 2015.
This explains the inclusion of the following statement by Osama bin Laden:

“Then you published these caricatures, which
came against the backdrop of a new crusade and which the pope[17]
of the Vatican played a major role”

The high-quality, slick and
superbly-edited video is produced by Al-Kataib Media Foundation – the Flagship
media arm of Al-Shabaab. The 27 minutes 10 seconds video is compact with its
planar encoded format effecting high-resolution visuals and clear audio; though
its denuded metadata avails no meaningful clues (in terms of production
location and tools used) with regards to forensic analysis. Similarly, the
video features split screens, especially towards the end where the screen is
split into four unequal sectors with each sector showing a slain AMISOM
soldier. Stephen Harley was also able to make out three cameramen in the
video[18].

The graphic and thrill-filled video
shows the progress of the attack from its commencement, to its termination when
the mujahideen retreated to their
rural bases with their ghaneema
(Spoils of War). Judging from the Arabic script and transliteration used in the
video, SIF concludes that the editing was done by a Saudi or an entity
well-versed with Hejaz-Arabic.

Prior to the Attack.

After the short provocative speech
by Osama bin Laden, the video shows hundreds of masked Al-Shabaab fighters jogging
around at an undisclosed training area (which SIF assesses to be in Lower
Shabelle).

The nasheed playing in the
background – which is rudely interrupted by a brief speech given by the Slain Sheikh
Abu Ramla Mohammed Ahmed Roble (alias Boqolsoon) in his exasperatingly harsh
and quick-paced Somali accent - at this instance is Malakna Haza-ud-Dunia Al-Quroon. This nasheed has been featured
repeatedly in video released by Al-Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula, and SIF attests that its inclusion in the video is
meant to implicitly confirm Al-Shabaab’s allegiance to Al-Qaeda.

Hundreds of Al-Shabaab Militants training on an Open ground. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

One can also make out an Ural Military Truck – usually used
by Ethiopian troops - parked adjacent to the jogging ground.

A Portion of the rear part of an Ural Truck - along with the right rear wheels - can be seen as the Mujahideen jog past it. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

Al-Shabaab is known to have captured military trucks from
Ethiopian forces, besides decimating Ethiopian supply and transport convoys.

An Ethiopian Ural Military truck burnt down by Al-Shabaab in Beledweyne on the 11th of June 2015. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

And the Electronic Eyes in
the Sky Failed……

At Kismayo Airport, Aden Adde
International Airport in Mogadishu and at another undisclosed location in Southern
Somalia, CIA and JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) jointly operate several
drone base stations.[19]
These stations serve as the command-and-control centres for armed UAV (Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles), and surveillance drones[20].
Nonetheless, none of these UAVs – which constantly patrol the airspace of Lower
Shabelle in combat missions to detect, locate and destroy Al-Shabaab bases –
was able to detect such a large assembly of Al-Shabaab militants in Lower
Shabelle. Based on the video, the militants trained on relatively open grounds
without fear of being discovered and destroyed.

According to SIF, the relative
freedom exercised by Al-Shabaab to assemble an entire company in open grounds
shows the absolute flexibility enjoyed by the jihadists in their rural
strongholds; as well as ascertain AMISOM’s operational inaptitude and
strategical inadequacies in managing rural-based insurgencies.

The Istishhadi.

The video then progresses to the Istishhadi (Suicide Bomber) who blew
himself up. The suicide bomber is a young Somali male named Amar Osman Axmed –
a member of the Hawadle sub-clan. He is first shown reciting several verses
from the Quran before being interviewed as he stood on the bank of an
artificial dam. He then acknowledges his conscious acceptance of the suicide
mission tasked on him.

Amar Osman Axmed on the banks of an Artificial Dam in Lower Shabelle. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

Al-Shabaab provides a brief biography of the suicide
bomber; stating that he worked in the Health Department of the organization,
tending to the injured fighters, and concludes by asserting that he decided to
volunteer for a suicide mission whilst nursing the injuries of fellow jihadists. Next, Amar is shown praying
at night, moments before he blew himself up using an SVBIED (Suicide
Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device).

SIF assesses that Al-Shabaab mentioned the clan of the Istishhadi in order to demonstrate that
its ideology transcends clan loyalties and regional politics. Likewise, SIF can
confidently reveal that the SVBIED used in the attack was a captured 4 ×
4 Toyota Pick-up truck
laced with explosives similar in make and model to the one shown below.

The SVBIED utilized a vehicle similar to the one shown above. Photo credit: Strategic Intelligence Files.

* *
* *
* * *

Utility of Mobility.

According to SIF, one of the Core
enablers of Asymmetric warfare is mobility. Mobility allows militants to move
fighters, transport utilities and weaponry with relative freedom thus providing
them the critical latitude to move freely while avoiding detection - thereby
affording them the opportunity to conduct surprise strikes on enemy positions.
As such mobility complements and augments operational flexibility, and also
preserves the vital element of surprise. Another component which augments
mobility and the element of surprise is Movement by Night. Even so, Movement by
Night requires the militants to have good knowledge of the ground which in
turn necessitates the need for prior reconnaissance and rehearsals for an attack.

* *
* *
* * *

The
Attack Begins.

In the video; just after the Istishhadi prayed for a successful suicide
operation, Al-Shabaab lays out its battle plan as thus:

“The battle will begin
with a Martyrdom operation carried out by brother Amar at the gates of the
Crusaders’ base in Leego. This will then be followed by a quick raid executed
by Mujahideen fighters from the ‘Sheikh Mukthar Abu Zubeyr Battalion’ who will
storm the base, overrun it and massacre the Burundian crusaders inside”

Al-Shabaab launched their offensive
at around 0500hrs local time, and from the evidence presented in the video; it
is quite clear that despite their qualitative offensive power, AMISOM troops have
still not yet mastered the art of rural counter-insurgency. The Burundian
soldiers based at the base lacked popular support, neglected foot-patrolling
and had neither mastered the terrain nor exploited their technical superiority
to their advantage. In the end, Al-Shabaab was able to move in an entire
company of militants into the area undetected. The movement was done at night
in order to maximally exploit the cover of darkness to conceal the movements as
well as maintain the element of surprise.

At about 0500hrs, the Istishhadi rammed his car through the
gates of the base before detonating it and thus lighting up the sky as depicted
in the video clip below:

The Istishhadi detonates his
SVBIED.

The flash of light is immediately
followed by sounds of rapid gunfire as a convoy of three 4 × 4 technicals drive
towards the base as flashes of light emerge from 7.62mm tracer rounds fired
from man-portable PK Machine Guns – operated by Al-Shabaab fighters who had
taken positions a few metres away from the FOB's perimeter fence. One of the
technicals is mounted with an ZU(Sergey)-23-2 23mm twin-barreled anti-aircraft
auto-cannon. Seconds later, 12.7mm rounds flash through the air as they are
fired from the tripod-mounted DshKM – which was in turn mounted atop the back
of the 4 × 4 technicals as depicted in the video clip below:

A convoy of three 4 × 4
technicals drive towards the base.

This is followed in rapid
succession by intense gunfire from small-arms, light machine guns and heavy
machine guns mounted on the 4 × 4 technicals as depicted in the video clip
below. In the clip, one can count four different 4 × 4 technicals with the one
captured from the Ethiopians at Beledweyne shown towards the end of the clip.

The Pre-Dawn Gun-battle.

The aforementioned technical captured by Al-Shabaab is
shown below.

An AU Technical captured by Al-Shabaab. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

It is clear from the video that the
same 4 × 4 technical was fitted with a 12.7mm DshKM Heavy Machine gun, and
deployed for the offensive against Burundian troops at Leego as shown in the
video clip below:

The AMISOM Technical being used by Al-Shabaab to
attack the Burundian base at Leego.

Storming the Base.

The preceding intense gunfire softened the FOB’s defenses
thus allowing Al-Shabaab foot soldiers to storm into the base where they
started to execute Burundian soldiers as shown in the video clip below (which features a provocative speech given by the Slain Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi):

Al-Shabaab foot soldiers storm the base.

At dawn, the jihadists were inside the FOB as evidenced
in the clip below:

AlShabaab Militants inside Leego's FOB.

The 4 × 4 Technicals were once more
called in to decimate the remaining defensive positions still held by AMISOM
troops within the base, as depicted in the clip below (which features a brief speech -in the background- given by the slain leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi):

Jihadists use Machine Guns to dislodge AMISOM soldiers from their remaining positions.

Unable to withstand the fight, the Burundian soldiers fled as evidenced in the clip below:

AMISOM soldiers abandoning their positions and fleeing
from the Base.

Fall of the Base.

With the jihadists inside the base,
they quickly wipe out any remaining resistance, and a Burundian soldier is
executed with a headshot (featured in the clip below with a Sniper’s overlay):

Inside the base, AMISOM's Resistance is quickly smashed

Ultimately, the jihadists capture the entire base…..

Al-Shabaab gains total control of AMISOM’s FOB in Leego.

And they
proceed to despoil the makeshift church:

The FOB’s Makeshift Church being Despoiled.

The jihadists
then proceed to pillage the base for weapons and other provisions:

Al-Shabaab Jihadis pillaging
the base.

And one of the Field Commanders was aKenyan Mujahid ….

In June 2014, Al-Shabaab jihadists
entered Lamu County, Kenya; and conducted a series of attacks[21]
which enabled them to overrun several police stations, obtain Kenya Army
uniforms, and capture weapons; besides massacring non-Muslim Kenyan civilians. Laughable
analysis from Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) which was published
by an equally unapprising media outlet, The
Nairobi Star,[22]
stated that the attackers had taken shelter in the vast Boni Forest alongside
their families; and that they were a distinct army within Al-Shabaab known as Jeysh
Ayman[23].
In reality, the attackers returned to Somalia after opening up a front in Lamu
which provided Al-Shabaab militants with unhindered access to Lamu and Garissa
Counties where they could launch attacks at will[24].

The militant seen in the clip below
dressed in Kenyan Army uniform (including military boots) is a Kenyan mujahid who participated in the Lamu
attacks; and this attests to the fact that some of the Lamu attackers returned
to fight in Somalia, and never domiciled themselves in Boni Forest. From the
video, it is clear that he was one of the Field Commanders during the raid on
the AMISOM base. He enthusiastically exaggerates the quantity of the spoils of
war which are later carted out by jihadists unto awaiting transport
vehicles:

The Kenyan Mujahid Field Commander, and AlShabaab
militants looting an Ammunition Dump

And the Ethiopian who Escaped was also Killed…..

During the ambush in Beledweyne, Al-Shabaab cunningly
used the element of surprise and fury to quickly overwhelm the Ethiopian
soldiers, most of whom fled the battle. One of the escapees made his way into
AMISOM’s FOB in Leego where he was housed. Nevertheless, Al-Shabaab caught up
with him in the base and killed him as the photo below clarifies:

The Slain Ethiopian who had escaped an earlier ambush at Beledweyne. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

Withdrawal from
Leego.

One of the principles of
Asymmetrical Warfare - according to SIF - asserts that the weaker party (in the
conflict) should launch a ferocious attack on the enemy forces, using the
elements of surprise and stealth to maximize its advantages; and then withdraw
once it has achieved its tactical objectives. This ensures that minimal
resources are used in an operation, besides forcing the stronger opponent to
thin out its forces during attempts to pursue the withdrawing troops.

After raiding Leego’s FOB, looting
it and burning it to the ground; Al-Shabaab jihadists briefly took control of
Leego town and thereafter withdrew to their rural bases as the clip below
shows:

Al-Shabaab jihadis withdraw from Leego.

Casualties.

The attack on Leego cost Al-Shabaab four fatalities (according
to the video). The four are promptly eulogized in the video. They were:

1.Amar Osman Axmed – a member of the
Hawadle sub-clan.

2.Dhaqane Abdullah Omar - a member of
the Hawalde sub-clan.

3.Musab –a member of the Ishaaq Sa’ad
Muuse sub-clan.

4.Ayoub Hassan Salad - a member of the
Ayr sub-clan.

As mentioned earlier, the inclusion of their clan
identities is meant to demonstrate the pan-Somali nature of the Somali jihad.

Regarding the fatalities suffered by AMISOM, the video
states that more than 80 Burundian soldiers were killed; and Al-Shabaab displays the remains of about 70 Burundian soldiers. The Burundian government conceded to
losing 50 soldiers[25]
in Leego; while SIF
put the number of fatalities
at 70 dead. Towards the end of the video, the jihadists string together three
bodies of AMISOM soldiers, tie them to the back of a Technical and then drag the
bodies along the dirt road.

Bodies of Slain AMISOM soldiers strung together and dragged along a dirt road. Photo credit: Al-Kataib.

Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State?

The video contains speeches made by prominent Al-Qaeda
personalities (most of them deceased) except for Dr.Ayman al-Zawahiri who
presently serves as the Supreme Emir of Al-Shabaab with Abu-Ubaidah serving as
the Chief Emir of the Jihadists in East Africa. This confirms the allegiance of
Al-Shabaab to Al-Qaeda[26],
and indifference to periodic (and sometimes persistent) appeals for Bayah[27](pledge
of allegiance) from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In a previous
post published here[28],
the author stated that Al-Shabaab, despite being firmly within Al-Qaeda's Fold, has consciously implemented a cautious policy of calculated neutrality towards
ISIL in the Al-Qaeda – ISIL conflict.

Deductions.

Al-Shabaab attack on the AMISOM base at Leego demonstrates
enhanced capacity by the Jihadists to conduct successful offensive operations
within an Asymmetrical Battlespace. The success of the attack and their triumph
over Ugandan troops in Janaale town procures a bias of formulation and
implementation of effective (and pragmatic) military strategies that synergize
available combat potentials (mobility, operational flexibility, effective
reconnaissance and the element of surprise) to ensure total kinetic victory in
intense short-lived battles.

The Burundian troops in the town adopted a “Garrisson
Attitude” which greatly limited their knowledge of the terrain besides
curtailing the effectiveness of their patrols – two factors which enables Amniyaat Units to insert espionage and
reconnaissance units to spy on the base and survey the ground prior to the
attack.

In the video, voice synthesizers were used to obscure the
voice of some of the militants; and this combined with the fact that there was
no mention of Amniyaat Units demonstrates heightened
need by Al-Shabaab to conceal vital details regarding its operational security,
and tactical maneuvers.

Conclusion.

Al-Shabaab is far from being defeated as repeatedly (and
errounesouly) stated by the US, Kenyan, Ugandan and Somali governments; and it
is quite clear that Al-Shabaab has transformed itself into a hybrid force
capable of conduction both conventional operations and guerrilla campaigns
against its OPFOR (Opposition Forces). By dragging a quantitatively and
qualitatively superior army into a long war of attrition, Al-Shabaab has been
able to wear down its OPFOR as well
as escalate the cost of the war beyond acceptable limits for its opponents[29];
and in so doing, anticipate that the OPFOR will finally suffer defeat through exhaustion
and demoralization.

[16] Eid-al-Adha
(translated into English as the Feast of the Sacrifice) commenced in the
evening of Wednesday, 23rd September 2015; and ended in the Evening of
Thursday, 24th September 2015. AlShabaab, through Al-Kataib, released the video
on 24th Sepetember 2015.

[17] The
Pontiff at the time of the publications of the caricatures which Osama is
talking about (the Muhammad cartoons published by Denmark-based newspaper,
Jyllands-Posten, in September 2005) was Pope Benedict XVI.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments must strictly be on-topic, moderate, civil, and above all, show decorum. Obscene, malicious, insulting, threatening, or vituperative comments are not allowed. Non-civil comments characterized by Hostile tones, Hectoring, Undue Sarcasm, Over-reliance on insinuations, and unacceptable condescension will be deleted. Likewise, comments aimed at provoking violence will also be deleted.